WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A Texas man was sentenced this week for a fatal hit-and-run that killed an Elizabeth man in May 2022 on the Garden State Parkway through Woodbridge.
Fornice Boatner, of Cleveland, Texas, will serve nine years in New Jersey state prison.
On May 25, 2022, New Jersey State Police responded to a report of a deceased individual found in a ditch next to the roadway on the Parkway north at milepost 130.4 in Woodbridge Township.
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The man was identified as Felipe Dos-Santos, 31, of Elizabeth and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Police determined at approximately 1:00 a.m. on that date, Felipe was walking northbound on the shoulder of the Parkway when he was struck by a 2007 silver Dodge Ram.
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The Dodge Ram fled the scene after the crash and continued traveling north.
The driver and registered owner of the Dodge Ram was Boatner, a resident of Texas. Detectives also determined that Boatner recently made repairs to the vehicle to conceal the damage sustained in the hit-and-run.
Boatner and his Dodge Ram were located in Cleveland, TX on May 28 of last year. A short time later, he was arrested at his home.
Boatner was charged with Vehicular Homicide, Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Crash Causing Death, Hindering, Obstruction, and Tampering with Evidence. On June 10, 2022, he was extradited back to New Jersey. On January 30, 2023, Boatner pled guilty to second-degree Knowingly Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident Resulting in Death but failed to appear at sentencing.
On November 2, 2023, Boatner was apprehended and charged with third-degree Bail Jumping.
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